


Rise In Perfect Light

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Depression, Eventual Reylo, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I don't even know what I'm doing with this, Redemption, Suicidal Thoughts, also some background Finn/Poe, post-TFA
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-15 00:38:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5765038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Han Solo is dead at the hands of his son. Kylo Ren thought it would be the final act that would bring him completely to the Dark Side, but instead it just tore him more apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time ever writing fanfic. Somehow it's taken me 21 years to get around to it. (Probably because I don't particularly like my writing in general, and words and I don't get along most of the time). So any comments would be extremely appreciated and helpful!  
> Note: I am operating under the assumption that Rey is not related to Ben. My personal favorite theory so far is that she's a Kenobi (or possibly completely unrelated to anyone we've met so far). If it turns out that Rey and Ben are related, this will promptly become completely an AU where they're NOT related.

_Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;_

_I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night._

-  _The Old Astronomer to His Pupil_ by Sarah Williams

 

 

“I am being torn apart”. Kylo Ren’s voice is shaking. “I want to be free of this pain.” His entire body is shaking now. He feels like a young boy again, wants his father to tell him “we’ll get out of this, kid”, like he used to, so long ago.

 

“I know what I have to do but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.” Snoke has told him to kill Han, and Kylo had thought that perhaps killing his father could finally extinguish the last bit of Light in him. But standing here now, with his father before him, he doesn’t know if he can bring himself to do it. The path he thought lay before him is no longer clear. He knows he must kill Han. If he doesn’t, Snoke will kill him. _Maybe that would be for the best_ , he thinks. _It’s too late for me_.

 

“Will you help me?” He doesn’t even know what he’s asking. He’s beyond help. He has gone too far into the dark to turn back. But neither can he keep going. There’s a Light in him that will not be extinguished, no matter what he does, who he kills. He wishes he could get rid of the Light, for it only brings him anguish. He doesn’t even know who he is any more.

 

His father looks at him, sorrow and hope in his eyes. “Yes. Anything.” The words are said with such utter love that Kylo almost forgets how to breath. His chest feels tight. He’d forgotten how it felt to have someone care for him, after so many lonely years, surrounded only by the darkness.

 

Kylo holds out the hilt of his lightsaber in both hands. He meets his father’s eyes, and is struck by the sudden realization that Han _knows_ what Snoke’s ordered him to do, yet he’s reaching out willingly, knowing that this will almost certainly end with his death by his son’s hands. For a moment, Kylo doesn’t understand how Han could still be here, knowing he’s almost certainly facing his own death.  As Han’s hand closes over the hilt of the lightsaber, Kylo’s grip tightens, slowly turning it to face his father, preparing to trigger it, preparing to end his father’s life as he had planned. Then he reaches forward slightly with his mind, and his father’s emotions hit him hard, the sadness and the pity and the regret and the _forgiveness_. It’s this last emotion that shocks him, and he almost lets go of the lightsaber.

 

Almost.

 

Snoke’s words echo through his head. “Even you have not faced such a test. Do not fail me.” Kylo grits his teeth, his hands tightening on the hilt of his lightsaber, turning it, watching as the unstable red blade drives through his father’s chest. For a moment he can do nothing but stand there, eyes locked on his father’s. Han gently touches his son’s face for the last time, and Kylo unintentionally reaches out to hear his father’s last thought: _I love you_. Kylo watches as his father falls from the bridge. He’s in shock, unable to think clearly. Emotions will come later, right now he just feels empty.

 

He’s jolted into awareness by a searing pain in his side that sends him to his knees. Dimly, he’s aware of blaster fire. A tremor shakes the walkway he stands on, a reminder that Starkiller Base is under attack and about to fall apart beneath them. Staggering to his feet, he looks up and sees the scavenger and the traitor. Their names echo quietly in his his mind. _Rey and Finn_. He knows where they’re headed and runs towards the exit, each step causing a shooting pain in his side.

 

Following a shortcut and commandeering a speeder, Kylo Ren gets to the snow-covered woods first. He ditches the speeder, reaching out through the Force to feel the presence of the two humans approaching him. As soon as he sees them, he ignites his lightsaber and stumbles towards them.

 

“We’re not done yet,” he growls. The wound in his side is a constant reminder of what he has just done, but he focuses on the pain, allowing it to drive out any thoughts of his father, allowing it to strengthen the Dark Side within him. Rey raises her blaster and he throws out his hand, the Force sending her flying to slam hard into a tree. Watching her fall to the ground, he feels an irrational wave of relief as he reaches out with the Force to feel that she is still alive. Momentarily distracted, he redirects his attention to the traitor.

 

With a jolt, he recognizes the lightsaber the ex-stormtrooper holds. He’d seen it so many times when he was Luke’s padawan all those years ago.

 

“That lightsaber. It belongs to me.” He doesn’t know why he wants that lightsaber so much… it represents the Light, something he should want to destroy, but instead he feels strangely drawn towards his uncle’s old lightsaber.

 

“Then come get it,” Finn says, igniting the blue blade. Kylo growls quietly, charging towards him as he swings his lightsaber haphazardly. It’s clear that Finn does not have much experience with hand-to-hand combat, but he holds his ground for a short time, even landing a glancing blow to Kylo’s shoulder. Soon enough though, Kylo gets the upper hand, digging the crossguard of his lightsaber into Finn’s shoulder. Luke’s lightsaber is sent flying into the snow as Kylo disarms the other man, quickly following it by a strike along the spine that sends Finn falling to the ground unconscious.

 

He turns away from Finn, deactivating his lightsaber as he reaches through the Force for Luke’s. Finally pulled from the snow, the lightsaber hilt narrowly misses Kylo’s face as it flies through the air, landing in Rey’s outstretched hand. Briefly, he registers the expression of utter shock the crosses her face, followed by fierce determination as she ignites the blue blade. His hand clenches on the hilt of his own lightsaber as he ignites it, preparing to attack, but is startled as she charges instead.

 

She’s clearly not used to handling a lightsaber, but he’s seen in her mind that she’s had experience with fighting for her life with only a staff to defend herself. And now she’s fierce, angry and hurting because of Han’s death. He quickly moves from defensive to offensive, his dysfunctional lightsaber burning through the air to strike against Rey’s over and over as she scrambles to retreat before him. She stops running as the ground falls away and their lightsabers clash together. His blood loss is beginning to weaken him, but he still has enough strength to push her into the abyss if he wanted to. Instead he holds them there, teetering on the edge.

 

“You need a teacher. I can show you the ways of the force.” He suddenly doesn’t want to bring her to Snoke, but neither does he want to kill her. He can feel her untrained power, knows she could be incredibly powerful with practice.

 

Suddenly she meets his eyes and the effect is staggering. He can feel her confusion and desperation almost as if it were his own, and he realizes then that something had happened to both of them in the interrogation chamber, when he had invaded her mind with the Force and she had fought back and entered his mind in return. He sees her come to the same realization, but she clears her mind faster than he can. “The force…” she whispers, and he can feel her suddenly empty her mind, calm and centered and filled with Light.

 

It’s then that he knows he’s lost.

 

Still drawing on the power of the Force within her, she fights back with a kind of power he’s not faced for a long time -- not since he trained with his uncle. Stumbling backwards, he haphazardly tries to meet each strike of her lightsaber with his, but he's weakened from blood loss and feels her lightsaber burn into his leg, his shoulder. She strikes his lightsaber from his hand, sending it flying into the snow, and he feels the blade of her lightsaber burn across his face as he falls.

  
  
Kylo Ren lays there in the snow, unarmed. Rey can feel his pain and feels his mind brush against hers and a whisper: _Kill me_ . She doesn’t know if he’s trying to tempt her to the Dark Side, or if he truly wishes to die. She’s not sure he knows either. _Please_ , his whispers. She hesitates for a moment, wanting to kill him, to avenge Han’s death, and realizes she’s teetering on the edge of the Dark Side and if she kills him, there will be no going back. His mind touches hers again, weakly. _Please_.

 

She answers out loud. “No.”

 

She turns off her lightsaber, looking at him for a long moment before running away from him into the woods, back towards Finn. He rests his head back against the snow, letting his pain pull him into unconsciousness, desperately hoping for death.

 

Finn’s still not moving when Rey reaches him, but she thinks he’s still breathing. Her mind searches hopelessly for a way to get them out of this, off of Starkiller Base before it is destroyed. There’s no way she’s going to be able to get Finn back to the Falcon on her own, and it’s far enough away that she doubts she’d make it in time even if she left him. Suddenly the bright light of the Millennium Falcon is there, crashing through the trees towards her. She grabs Luke’s lightsaber as Chewie runs out and carefully picks up Finn.

 

She’s about to step onto the Falcon, ready to take off and leave Starkiller Base behind, when she remembers Leia. Leia, who she’s never met but who Han’s told her so much about. Leia, who just lost her husband and who never lost hope for her son. And Han, who tried to save his son even as Kylo’s lightsaber drove through his chest. Rey knows she can’t just leave Kylo Ren behind, no matter how much she hates him. Chewie detests the idea, and clearly would much rather shoot Kylo through the head then carry him onto the Falcon, but he does it anyways, remembering the boy Kylo used to be, the boy he used to love so much.

 

Rey feels nauseous at the thought of having Kylo aboard the Falcon, but at least he’s unconscious and the trip back to D’Quar is short. She pushes the thought of him from her mind and focusing on piloting the Falcon.

 

Leia deserves to have her son home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia gets her son back... kind of.

Everyone’s waiting for them when they make it back to D’Quar. Chewie carries Finn out of the Falcon, and follows him as Finn is wheeled away on a stretcher. Rey is intensely relieved at the confirmation that he has a pulse. Kylo Ren is left on the ship, still completely out. Rey sees a woman standing there, pain and sadness radiating from her through the Force. _Leia_. And Rey realizes that somehow, Leia knows that Han was not returning from Starkiller Base with them, would never return. Rey is startled when Leia pulls her into a hug.

 

“How?” Leia asks when she pulls away. She doesn’t say more, but Rey knows what she’s asking.

 

“Kylo Ren…” Rey can’t find the words to say any more, so instead she grabs Leia’s hand and holds it to her face, gently pushing her memories of the events inside the oscillator into Leia’s mind. When Han falls from the bridge, Leia pulls her hand away, choking back a sob.

 

“I’m… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that, but I know you're sensitive to the Force and I didn’t… I didn’t know how to tell you. I’m sorry.” Rey’s voice is shaky.

 

When she replies, Leia’s voice shakes too. “No, don’t apologize. It was best for me to see it, to know what actually happened. Thank you.”

 

Rey hesitates for a moment, unsure if telling Leia that she brought Kylo Ren back with her is a good idea right now. But she looks at the older woman’s face, and Rey comes to the understanding that Leia is strong and would much rather know everything. She takes a deep breath.

 

“There’s something else you need to know,” Rey says. She doesn’t know how to tell Leia about Kylo, so instead she leads the woman into the Falcon to where Kylo lays on the floor, unconscious and bloody. When she sees him, Leia stops suddenly, her hands flying to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. “He’s alive,” Rey says quietly. Leia stands there, utterly still and silent, then draws a long shuddering breath. Slowly, Leia lowers her hands and turns toward Rey.

 

“How…” Leia’s question drifts off as she looks back at her son. Rey holds out her hand, offering the memories of their last fight, and Leia takes it. When she pulls away, she looks at Rey sharply, the expression quickly replaced with a mixture of curiosity and sadness.

 

“Kylo needs medical attention,” Rey says tentatively.

 

“Ben. His name is Ben, no matter what he may say.” Leia says. She pauses for a long moment, staring down at her  “I have to believe he’s still Ben.”

 

Rey looks at the fierce determination in Leia’s face, the tears that she’s holding back with difficulty. Rey nods quietly, before Leia startles her once again by pulling her into another hug. _Some things are going to be hard to get used to_ , Rey thinks.

 

* * *

 

The next day, she goes to visit Finn in the infirmary. She’s been told he’s fine, but is being kept sedated. Poe spends all his spare time at Finn’s bedside, Rey even found him asleep there once. Ben’s still unconscious in the room next door. He hasn’t been restrained, but the room is surrounded by an energy field and there are two guards posted outside at all times. It’s more of a cell than an infirmary, although his wounds are being treated.

 

Rey says goodbye to Finn quietly, before she leaves to find Luke Skywalker. She spares a glance at Ky- _Ben_ , she reminds herself quickly. Briefly, she allows herself to wonder about the way the Force seemed to connect them, before shaking off the thoughts and clearing her mind. She’s hoping to be able to convince Luke to train her to be a Jedi, and thoughts of Ben would probably not make Luke inclined to take her on as his apprentice.

 

Leia and BB-8 come to say goodbye to her.

 

“You brought my son home. Maybe you can bring my brother home, too.” Leia smiles at Rey.

 

“I’ll do my best,” Rey promises.

 

* * *

 

Finn wakes up two days after Rey leaves. Poe is ecstatic. The first time Finn sits up, Poe wraps him in his arms, burying his head against Finn’s neck. Finn can feel Poe shaking and hugs him back.

 

“Hey. I’m alright. I’m here. I’m fine.” Finn whispers this against Poe’s hair, over and over again. Eventually he succeeds in getting Poe to loosen his grip and raise his head. Poe’s face is wet and Finn smiles at him, receiving a watery smile in return. Finn squeaks in surprise as Poe suddenly moves in for a kiss, causing Poe to pull away. Finn stares at him a moment, as if he can’t believe what’s happening, and then tugs Poe back to him.

 

Leia smiles and tells them to “take it easy for a while, Finn’s still recovering.” Finn blushes and Poe grins.

 

* * *

 

Ben wakes up four days after Rey leaves. Consciousness drifts back in slowly. He doesn’t want to open his eyes, doesn’t want to be awake. He feels drained, hollow. Perhaps blood loss has something to do with it, but more than that, he’s found he’s lost his motivation. There’s no more rage left, only pain and emptiness. There’s no more anger left, except that which he aims at himself.

 

He spends the days following that staring at the ceiling, trying not to think. Doctors come and go, and slowly he begins to heal -- physically, at least.

 

The first time his mother comes to visit him, he doesn’t respond. He hears her enter the room, can see the movement out of the corner of his eye as she walks closer to him. He doesn’t want to look at her, doesn’t want to face her after all that he’s done, so he closes his eyes. It doesn’t help, because all he can see is his own lightsaber burning through his father, his father looking him in the eye as he falls from the bridge. He startles briefly as Leia rests her hand gently on his face, mirroring Han’s gesture as he was dying. Ben keeps his eyes tightly closed, and silently curses the tear that slips out the corner of his eye. He thinks he prefers feeling empty to this guilt and pain. Leia doesn’t say anything as she leaves.

 

The second time his mother comes to visit him, he’s sitting up, finally. Again, he hears her enter the room, but this time he turns his head to look at her. He hasn’t seen her since in years, but somehow she looks just the same to him, though perhaps a bit sadder, a bit more worn. He looks down at his lap as Leia approaches him. He doesn’t have the energy to shield his emotions, and Leia’s heart breaks slowly as she feels the emptiness and despair and guilt consuming him. Slowly, she sits down on the bed next to him, facing him as he remains hunched, hair falling to cover his face.

 

“Ben,” she whispers.

 

“No, I’m…” he begins weakly. _I’m Kylo Ren. Ben Solo is dead_ , he means to say, but he chokes on the words.

 

“Ben. You’re Ben,” Leia murmurs, pushing his hair back from his face. He finally allows himself to meet his mother’s eyes. “You are my son. You. Are. Ben,” she says again, with such conviction that Ben almost feels it’s true.

 

He looks at her silently for a long moment, her words echoing through his head. _You. Are. Ben._

 

“I’m not sure who that is anymore.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I wanted to get a second chapter up, since the first was mostly just what happened in the movie. I'm hoping to have chapter 3 done by the end of this next weekend. Chapter 3 is when the Reylo starts becoming more of a thing... 
> 
> Also, I'm using horizontal lines to denote jumps in time, please let me know if it's distracting. 
> 
> Again, this is my first fanfic ever so comments are very appreciated, because I'd like to try to improve my writing!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey returns from Ahch-To with Luke, and Ben's immediate fate is decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really not sure how happy I am with this chapter, but...

Rey returns from Ahch-To after a month, with Luke Skywalker in tow. How she had convinced him to return, no one knew. Leia is ridiculously happy to see her brother again, greeting him with a massive hug and then hitting him, berating him for deserting her for all these years. Rey almost cries when she sees that Finn is up and walking, Poe keeping a close eye on him. Rey doesn’t know Poe particularly well, having only spent a day at the base before she left to find Luke, but Finn has told her so many stories about him. Really, it’s only the one story, told over and over. Rey smiles every time he tells it, seeing the happiness in his eyes when he talks about Poe.

 

Seeing them now, standing next to each other, she grins as she takes in their clasped hands and Poe’s protective stance.

 

“I see something happened while I was gone.” She looks knowingly at them, causing Poe to laugh and Finn to turn his face against Poe’s shoulder to hide his embarrassment. Rey is suddenly struck once again with amazement at how it feels to have friends, people to laugh with and cry with and _trust_ . She’d never had friends on Jakku, no one to talk to except when trading for food. If she’d had friends before her parents deserted her, she does not remember them. She feels awkward now at the base on D’Quar, surrounded by so many people. _It’ll take some getting used to_ , she thinks.

 

“How was it? Where did you find Luke? How’d you convince him to come back?” Finn rattles off the questions, his embarrassment forgotten. Rey laughs and begins answering his questions. Soon though, she is pulled away to a meeting with Luke and Leia, to fill them in on what had been going on.

 

* * *

 

When the Hosnian System was destroyed, the Republic could no longer support the Resistance, leaving the Resistance with much fewer ships and supplies and personnel. With the loss of Starkiller Base, the First Order no longer had the upper hand, and with the loss of Kylo Ren, Snoke’s power was weakened. Both the First Order and the Resistance had been launching small-scale attacks on the other, and so far it seemed like they were at a stalemate.

 

Ben has been kept confined in the same room ever since Rey left. Leia was ready to forgive her son, but the other Resistance commanders are not yet convinced that it would be a good idea to let Ben out of the energy-field surrounded room, at least not while Luke and Rey were still gone and could not be there to restrain him if necessary.

 

“What do you plan to do with Ben?” Luke asks quietly, looking at his sister.

 

“I don’t know,” Leia finally replies, after a long pause. “He has done such terrible things, killed so many people. But he’s different now. He’s not as Dark, but neither is he Light. I think he’s just given up. He’s not indicated any desire to leave the room he’s in, and rejects almost all company. He rarely speaks unless he’s asked a direct question, but he has given us some valuable information about the First Order that may help us soon. I’m hoping that with your return, the other commanders might agree to let him move to more comfortable quarters.”

 

Luke considers all this for a moment, staring intently at Rey. “May I suggest that Rey spends some time with him? I believe that she can help him. She has so much of the Light Side in her, and their Force bond could help.”

 

“Force bond?” Rey looked at Luke, confused.

 

“A Force bond is something often shared between Jedi masters and their apprentices. It allows communication of thoughts and emotions across larger distances of space. Without a Force bond, a Jedi can only project their thoughts to another Force-sensitive if they are nearby. There have been a few rare cases where a Force bond has manifested itself between two people not in a master-apprentice relationship. Your bond with Ben is one such case.” Luke turns to face his sister. “I think it might be a good idea to give him the rooms next to Rey’s.”

 

Leia considers Rey thoughtfully before inclining her head in agreement. Rey inhales sharply as she fully realizes what she has been tasked to do.

 

* * *

 

Leia goes to break the news to Ben, Rey trailing behind her. Ben’s sitting on the floor when the door opens, his head resting against the wall behind him. He looks up sharply as they enter, but makes no move to stand. This is the first time Rey’s seen him conscious since Starkiller Base, and she’s struck suddenly by how _different_ he seems now. Before, he had been all burning rage and hatred, now all she feels from him is icy despair and loneliness, and under that, regret. Something shifts in her now as she looks at him, feeling his sense of hopelessness as if it were her own.

 

While Rey has been lost in her own thoughts and Ben’s emotions, Leia has moved to crouch beside Ben, quietly explaining what is going on and what has been decided. Finally, he stands, unconsciously using the wall as a support, and Rey realizes again just how _tall_ he is. Leia walks past Rey and out the door, but Ben makes no move to follow. Looking quietly at Ben, Rey holds out her hand to him.

 

 _It will be all right_ , she whispers to him through the Force. _You’re not alone any more_.

  
Rey sees a sad smile ghost across Ben’s face and he hesitantly takes her hand, finally meeting her eyes.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any comments are extremely helpful and appreciated!  
> I'm hoping to have the next chapter up within a few days, but I have two midterms next week so no guarantees.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares are not fun for anyone.
> 
> Trigger warnings for suicidal ideation and also should probably warn for suicidal attempts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I wrote this after a panic attack and then 4 glasses of wine and I'm not waiting until I'm sober to post it, so... hopefully it makes some amount of sense.  
> Things that are directly happening in their brains are in italics.  
> Also it's relatively short... sorry about that.

That first night, Rey is woken by screaming. She’s disoriented at first, and it takes her a moment to realize the screaming is in her head. Only it’s not her screams, it’s _Ben’s_. Hardly pausing to think, she scrambles out of bed, the floor cold against her bare feet. The base is minimally heated, and her thin shirt and pants provide little warmth against the night chill. Slipping quietly across the dim hallway, and finds Ben’s door locked. Reaching out with the Force, she unlocks it and quickly slips into the room, closing the door behind her and taking a moment for her eyes adjust to the dark.

 

Rey almost runs to where Ben is lying rigid in his bed, curled on his side and shaking. She puts her hand on his shoulder to wake him, but as her skin meets his, suddenly she is immersed in his nightmares.

 

* * *

 

_He’s on the bridge in the oscillator, facing Han Solo. He’s reaching out, giving his lightsaber to his father. He’s saying “Kill me”, and Han Solo drives the lightsaber through his son’s heart. He falls, falls into the abyss forever._

 

_He’s on the bridge in the oscillator, facing Han Solo. He’s reaching out, shoving his lightsaber through his father, watching as Han falls from the bridge. He takes a step and jumps from the bridge, following his father._

 

_He’s on the bridge in the oscillator, facing Han Solo. He watches as his father falls, feels himself fracture, tearing apart._

 

_He’s fighting Rey in the snow, and there is so much pain. They teeter on the edge of the cliff. He gives a shove and they both fall into the depths of the planet._

 

_He’s fighting Rey in the snow, and there is so much pain. She knocks the lightsaber from his hand and drives her blade through his chest._

 

* * *

 

Rey gasps in a lungful of air as she escapes from the dream. She realizes she’s collapsed on the floor by Ben’s bed and drags herself up. Ben’s sitting up, awake, eyes wild. He stares blankly at Rey for a long moment, not seeming to see her. Rey cautiously takes his shaking hand in hers. He’s startled, but doesn’t say anything as she edges her way to sit on the bed next to him. He’s still breathing fast, still shuddering from his nightmares. Rey carefully wraps her arms around his torso, and a strange sense of peace settles over her as he curls into her, burying his face against her neck.

 

_It’s not real_ , she whispers into his mind. _I’m here and I’m not letting you go._

 

“I should have died,” he gasps out. “I should have died. I should have died.” His voice trails off into a quiet sob. Rey holds him tight, presses her face into his hair.

 

“No,” she whispers. “No. You deserve to live. I’m here and I’m never ever going to let you go, ok?”

 

Ben finally quiets, and Rey thinks he’s fallen asleep. She carefully untangles herself from him, knowing she should go back to her own rooms. She hesitates for a moment, before bending down and pressing her lips tentatively against the corner of his mouth. As she turns away, she feels him catch at her hand and she turns back to see his eyes slightly open, gazing at her.

 

“Stay. Please,” he says quietly.

 

Rey doesn’t even pause to consider the potential repercussions of his request, quickly joining him under the blankets, grateful for the warmth as he wraps his arms around her. They lay there in silence, and as she drifts off to sleep, she thinks she hears Ben’s voice in her head, quiet and gentle.

 

_Thank you_.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I'm thinking there'll only be one chapter after this one? but I don't know. If anyone has suggestions please let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen. The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I can't write battles so... forgive me. Also, I tried to wrap everything up quickly in one chapter, so I'm not really sure how good it is.

In the days that follow, Rey and Ben fall into a pattern. Luke has started teaching Rey again, and soon Ben joins them. Luke is a strict teacher. Rey and Ben spend most of the day either meditating, going through their lightsaber forms, or sparring with each other. Rey slowly improves, learning how to use a lightsaber rather than a staff, how to open herself to the Force and be able to control it within herself.

 

“Perhaps Rey is the one who will bring balance to the force,” Leia suggests, as she watches.

 

Luke sits thoughtfully for a long while, his gaze unfocused. When he replies, his words come slowly.

 

“What if… what if the prophecy was wrong. What if it’s not _one_ who will bring balance to the force, but _two_?”

 

“Are you suggesting that… Rey and Ben? Together…”

 

“Together they might be what brings balance to the force, yes,” Luke finishes her trail of thought. _And they might be what brings Snoke down_ , Luke tells her through the Force.

 

* * *

 

\----- A few months later -----

 

Rey and Ben run side by side into the cavernous room where Snoke sits. This time, he’s not a hologram, he’s a rather small humanoid creature. He looks frail, but Rey knows his appearance is deceptive, that Snoke is far more powerful than she is - perhaps more powerful than her and Ben combined. She briefly wonders if she and Ben will survive this, and she feels Ben’s mind brush gently against hers.

 

 _Together?_ he whispers.

 

_Together._

 

They approach Snoke, shielding their minds with the Force, preparing to fight. There has not been enough time for Rey and Ben to make their own lightsabers, so Rey wields Luke’s old blue one, and Ben uses a white lightsaber Luke had found in the ruins of the first Jedi temple. Snoke attacks them, dual wielding two red lightsabers and striking out against them with the Force.

 

The fight is brutal and surprisingly brief. When it’s over, Snoke is dead, a lightsaber wound through his heart. The room shakes as the Resistance battles the forces of the First Order outside. Blood dripping from a deep wound in her shoulder and covered in scratches, Rey limps over to where Ben lays on the floor, unmoving. She collapses to the ground beside him, her hands fumbling as she looks for a pulse. Finally she feels it, weak and irregular.

 

“Don’t you _dare_ leave me.” Rey’s crying, one hand clutching his, the other shakes against his face, smoothing his hair away from his forehead, tracing the lines of the scar she’d given him not even a year ago. “Don’t. You. _Dare_.”

 

She manages to focus her mind with difficulty, determined to get them both out of there before the ceiling collapsed. Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes, reaching out to Luke with the Force.

 

 _Help us_ , she calls to him, projecting their location. Receiving the mental equivalent of a nod, Rey focuses on Ben, willing him to survive.

 

Soon, Luke runs into the room, closely followed by Leia. They pause for only a moment to take in the scene before them, before they spring into action. Luke carries Ben outside to the Millennium Falcon, Leia following close behind and dragging Snoke’s body. Rey limps to join them, and the moment they are all on board they take off, with Chewie piloting the craft away from the destruction.

 

Leia unceremoniously dumps Snoke’s body in a corner, and tosses a blanket over so they don’t have to look at it.

 

“We need his body as proof that he’s dead,” Leia explains, in response to the others’ questioning looks. “But that doesn’t mean I have to look at him.”

 

Luke carries Ben farther into the ship, setting him gently down in one of the ship’s bunks before moving to pull out the first aid kit.

 

“What happened to him?” Leia asks.

 

Rey’s face is tearstained and she’s exhausted, mentally and physically. She sits on the floor, leaning against the bunk. She still hasn’t let go of Ben’s hand. She takes a deep breath, steadying herself and leaning her head back against the bed.  

 

“He has several lightsaber wounds, two on his left leg, one on his right arm, and one along the right side of his chest - that one’s shallow, and I don’t think it hit anything vital. But then he threw himself in front of me, absorbing the Force lightning that Snoke was aiming at me, and…” she trailed off, fighting back tears.

 

Leia looks at Luke. He nods and busies himself tending to Ben as Leia sits on the floor next to Rey, wrapping her arms around her. When Luke determines that Ben will live, Rey leans against Leia and finally lets herself breathe. _He’s not going to leave me, not today_ , she thinks to herself. She has been alone and abandoned for most of her life, and she’s not sure she could bear to lose Ben. When they get back to the base, Luke convinces Rey to finally let go of Ben’s hand so he can be handed over to medical personnel. Once her own wounds have been seen to, Rey sits by Ben’s bed, his hand in hers once again. The medical droid has informed her that he is not likely to wake for at least several hours, and when she refuses to leave to go eat, Leia brings her a bowl of soup.

 

When Ben finally regains consciousness, Rey’s fallen asleep, her head resting on the edge of the bed. The movement of his hand in hers jerks her awake. When she sees his eyes open, tears trickle down her cheeks and she can’t stop a smile from spreading across her face.

 

“Hey.” Ben’s voice is soft as he smiles weakly up at her.

 

“Hey,” she replies quietly as she carefully wraps him in a hug, burying her face in his neck as she finally allows herself to feel like everything will be okay.

 

* * *

 

Now that Snoke is dead and the First Order is in shreds, there is much to do in the aftermath of the war. Ben is healing quickly, and soon he and Rey will join Luke in helping to restore the New Jedi Order once again. But for now, they ignore that. Ben lays sprawled on his bed, with Rey tucked against his side, her head on his shoulder and one leg wrapped around his. They hold each other tightly, listening to each other's breathing and heart beat, reveling in the fact that they are both alive.

 

“Don’t leave me. Promise you won’t ever leave me,” she mumbles into his shoulder.

  
_I promise_ , he whispers into her mind, holding her tighter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end! I really wish I could write more, but classes are taking over my life and I do not the energy any more. I really enjoyed writing this, so hopefully I'll get a chance to write more fanfic in the future. 
> 
> But anyways, thanks for reading!!! 
> 
> Note: I'm imagining that the white lightsaber that Ben uses is one of Ahsoka Tano's lightsabers.


End file.
